BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS) has completed the acquisition of Arc Metal AB in Hofors, Sweden. The asset purchase adds toll smelting and processing of spent automotive catalyst in Europe, Middle East and Africa. This further complements ECMS’s existing global precious metal recycling operations in Cinderford, UK, Seneca and Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Caldwell, Texas.
The additional smelting capacity at the Sweden site will also increase utilization of new refinery capacity in Seneca, South Carolina. Recycled catalysts go through a smelting process and are then refined to produce the high purity precious metal needed to make new catalysts and other end use products, supporting a circular economy.
In addition, the acquisition bolsters ECMS’s ability to deliver its 100 percent recycled metal offering Verdium™, which is based on mass balance. Recycled platinum group metals can lower carbon emissions by up to 97 percent, in comparison to refining mined or primary materials. One kilogram of Verdium saves over 30 metric tons of carbon, enabling customers to verify their carbon reduction, track progress to their sustainability goals and help lower their Scope 3 emissions.